Danny Ocean Calls on Artists to Unite for Venezuela: 'It's Good Against Evil'

As tension continues in Venezuela after Sunday's (July 28) presidential election, when Venezuela's electoral authority declared Nicolas Maduro the winner and the opposition alleged counting irregularities and claimed candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had won by nearly 70% of the voteVenezuelan and foreign artists spoke about the difficult situation in the South American country.

Whether expressing solidarity with the people of Venezuela or sharing images of the protests that have turned violent in the face of a crackdown by the Armed Forces and police, Venezuelan stars such as Nacho, Lele Pons and Elena Roseas well as foreigners like it Juan Luis Guerra, Gloria Trevi and Don Omarhave shared messages of support with their millions of followers.

One of those who has been more vocal since the exile is Danny Ocean, who in recent days posted an emotional video on his Instagram account calling on family members of the National Armed Forces of Bolivarian (FANB) and the police force to make them to see reason to prevent further bloodshed.

Protests in Venezuela have left “at least 20 dead, dozens injured and hundreds imprisoned,” it says Univision Noticias. While the government has refused to release voting records that would show Maduro won, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and her team published theirs online, with election witnesses showing them on social media as well. The US government recognized Edmundo González as the winner of the election.

Danny Osian, who left Venezuela in 2015, feels that the only way to end this is with the support of the militia, and that is why he persists in his call. In this “as told to you” account, the Venezuelan musician reflects on the situation in his country and calls on his colleagues to unite in a single message.

I don't even know where to start. What is happening in Venezuela hurts me a lot. It hurts to see the number of children dying right now on the streets and I feel the only ones who can facilitate and reduce this are the National Armed Forces and the police.

I know they shouldn't have it easy either, honestly. But, I don't know, that's how I feel. Everything I spoke from my side was from the heart, trying to be as reasonable as possible. And I also don't want to interfere with the communication that is happening right now with Venezuela. I am trying to support all the people who are trying to talk to their children, helping to pass information about the people inside Venezuela.

For my part, I don't want to post information like this arbitrarily. I believe it is necessary to give space to digital media so that they can communicate what they want to communicate. I just want to call the relatives of the military to ask them to talk, to tell them that we are really tired. They know what's happening and what's really happening and what's right and what's wrong. They are the only ones who can help the world so that there is no carnage in the streets.

If we want to get out of this mess, because this is no longer a political issue left, right, blue, red, yellow, none of that crap. No. This is now a good versus evil situation. And for people who are tired. People are really tired.

And on top of that, there are nearly 8 million Venezuelans who are abroad, as I said in my post, and the region is not prepared for another massive surge [of emigrants]. And we don't want any more broken families. That's enough! If that number is so high, it's for a reason. If there's smoke, there's fire. This is something very important for the international community to understand, because we are really tired, and the military knows it.

The game is currently on their side. It really depends on them. And I, as a representative, as an artist, try to just convey my message from this side.

[I would like to see Venezuela] prosperous, with chances to grow, where people don't have to worry about their future, they don't have to worry about having to leave to look for a better future. A place where there is room for everything. Venezuela has everything for everyone to do something incredible. That's what I hope will happen at the end of it all.

But now I try to focus on the present, on what is happening. Right now I think we should all get together, guys. People are dying in the streets.

I see artists flying at each other [on social media]. This doesn't work. Messages should be positive. I know there's a lot of pain, I know there's a lot of stuff stored inside, but this is not the time to throw crap at each other. It is very important that at least the community of artists among us Venezuelans aligns with the messages we give.

If all artists asked our militia and police to help and cooperate – because they are the only ones who can reduce this number [of victims] – it would be wonderfull. I think it would be a spectacular move if we all came together with this message.